Back in April, I did a post making some predictions of some books I think that I will rate a 5 star in the upcoming months based on the vibes of the book and the fact that some of them are by authors I have already given a five star to in the past.
This was inspired by some people on BookTube predicting their potential five star reads and reacting to the list after reading them. I have always enjoyed watching these videos, so I thought why not make my own list to react to once I have read them.
Time has passed and I have read all five books from that list and spoiler…some of them were 5 star reads! Let us get into each book and see what I have rated them…
Book 1: A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Actual rating:
Summary:
“In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.” – Goodreads
Our first on this list of books, and most recent read, was A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon! This book is the prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, a book that I had rated last year a five star and was one of my favourite reads of last year.
Now, if that book was a five star read, this was definitely a six star read! It is in contention of being one of my favourite reads for 2024.
The reason why this fell into the five star bracket was because it was beautifully written and had such interesting themes and plot lines. Although this book is 868 pages, at no point did I feel like the storyline was slow or felt boring. In comparison to Priory, there were no perspectives that I thought were filler perspectives or a drag to read, which is amazing.
Samantha Shannon is definitely an autobuy author for me, and I cannot wait to delve into her other series The Bone Season!
Book 2: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Actual rating:
Summary:
“The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?” – Goodreads
I buddy read this book back in April with Ellen Catherine which is technically the first time I have buddy read a book and really enjoyed the experience. I have linked her YouTube channel so go and check her out.
Brandon Sanderson is a staple in the Fantasy Genre which is why I thought that this book would be a safe bet for a 5 star read. Sadly, it did not meet that expectation, but I still really enjoyed the book.
The reason why it did not meet the 5 star criteria is because the ending felt a bit rushed. There were only 20 pages left for the big fight or the major conflict to be resolved, which honestly did not feel like enough. I wish there was just a bit more to it!
Even with that though, I feel like it would not have met the 5 star category or threshold purely because the story felt a bit surface level and there were some aspects that were really looked into, but others that were just left for the reader to figure out. I think it may have been better if I had read more of Brandon’s novels to understand the links that this book had to other parts of the series. Maybe I will re read it in the future after reading some more of Brandon’s work and it may have a different rating?
Book 3: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Actual rating:
Summary:
“In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.” – Goodreads
This was a massive disappointment. There were so many things that I did not like about this book that made it a 2 star rating that I go into in my review of it. But the main things were the writing style and the chapter lengths. I felt like I had whiplash whilst reading it.
I think from now on I am going to stay away from British TV presenters having a go at writing novels because with Graham Norton and Richard Osman, it left a sour taste in my mouth.
Book 4: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Actual rating:
Summary:
“She was magical, beautiful beyond belief—and completely alone…
The unicorn had lived since before memory in a forest where death could touch nothing. Maidens who caught a glimpse of her glory were blessed by enchantment they would never forget. But outside her wondrous realm, dark whispers and rumours carried a message she could not ignore: “Unicorns are gone from the world.”
Aided by a bumbling magician and an indomitable spinster, she set out to learn the truth. but she feared even her immortal wisdom meant nothing in a world where a mad king’s curse and terror incarnate lived only to stalk the last unicorn to her doom…” – Goodreads
I am so glad I got round to reading this book. Thinking back at the thought of having read it is making my heart flutter. It is hands down one of my favourite books of this year!
Thank you to Waterstones for making a social media post featuring this masterpiece so that I knew about its existence! All I knew about it before was from the animated adaptation that I loved as a child, and I can tell you that the film is essentially copy and paste of the book which is something you cannot say for most book to film adaptations nowadays!
Why is this a 5 star rating then? The writing is beautiful and poetic and is just a pleasure to read throughout. It caused me to feel so many emotions about some of the most mundane things in life. The characters we encounter throughout have such meaningful arcs that are amazing to read. I think that if you are a fantasy fan you should definitely read this book as it is considered one of the most famous classical fantasies out there. Also watch the film!
Book 5: The Institute by Stephen King
Actual rating:
Summary:
“As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good versus evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.” – Goodreads
This was my bookclub pick for April and I loved it! I have always been a Stephen King fan, and I think that I always will be! He is a much loved author for me which is why I had a sneaky suspiscion that this book would make it on the 5 star reading list.
After reading this book I knew I wanted to read as many Stephen King books as possible. I recently went on a book shop trip with a friend and saw Fairytale by Stephen King in one of the second hand book shops. That will be my next Stephen King read!
The reason that this was a five star read was just because of the writing style and how gripping the plot was. He had me at the edge of my seat the whole time and I was just really stressed throughout.
And that is a wrap from the first rendition of this 5 star predictions blog post. Have you read any of the books that are featured on this list? If you have, what did you rate them?
I will be coming out soon with another round of five books that I think will be 5 star reads soon so keep your eyes peeled for that one. Until then have fun reading!
The Little Sunflower Library 
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